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- Japanese Garden – Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle
- Azaleas Blooming by the Pond – photo courtesy Arboretum Foundation
Attention to detail is characteristic of the authentic style you’ll experience when touring Seattle’s Japanese Garden. When Juki Iida, the garden’s primary designer, arrived in the United States from Japan, he proceeded to choose 500 massive boulders from their natural mountainous environment, and then personally supervised the placing of the formidable architectural forms that were so essential to the philosophical and artistic underpinnings of the landscaping.
 - Pacific Connections Garden (Photo courtesy Cheri Shanahan/Arboretum Foundation)
 - Magnolia sieboldii (photo by Niall Dunne)
Every month of the year, the Japanese Garden and the Washington Park Arboretum offer unique displays to engage the interest of garden lovers.
The Arboretum’s new Pacific Connections Garden is located at the south end of the Arboretum.
Glorious magnolias and lush conifers harbor large-leaved rhododendrons in an area known as Loderi Valley. The collection of ‘rhodies’ blooms from February into June, while the peak exhibition of magnolias spans March through May.
 - Witch-hazel in the winter garden (photo courtesy Niall Dunne/Arboretum Foundation)
A witch-hazel blooming in the Witt Winter Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum in January. The Witt garden is especially splendid from November through March. Be sure to tour the Waterfront Trail for up-close views of Marsh Island and Foster Island, with all the flora and fauna that coexist in a marshland habitat.
 - Woodland Garden in fall at the Washington Park Arboretum (photo courtesy Joy Spurr/Arboretum Foundation)
Designed by the renowned Olmsted Brothers, scions of Frederick Law Olmsted, the city of Seattle’s fine boulevard plan and park system suggest plenty of reasons to explore neighborhoods throughout town. The tranquil landscape of the Arboretum and Japanese Garden play a prominent role among Seattle’s treasure trove of parkland settings.
When planning a visit to Seattle, be sure to visit the Washington Park Arboretum Foundation web site for news and announcements about special events.
Near the Graham Visitors Center at the Arboretum, the crabapple, Malus ‘Adirondack’ flowers.
 - Malus ‘Adirondack’ (photo courtesy Niall Dunne/Arboretum Foundation)
VanDusen Botanical Garden – Vancouver, British Columbia
A city energized by cultural diversity, Vancouver is a superb destination in every way. VanDusen Botanical Garden – one of the city’s gems – is a hilly 55-acre setting that I like to approach on the No. 17 city bus from my downtown hotel. A Spring visit to VanDusen will remain in the minds-eye long after the experience. During the period of late May through early June, cascading golden panicles tumble from archways over the Laburnum Walk in a medley of ground-covering bluebells and alliums.
 - Late Summer – Canadian Heritage Pond
Boasting a collection of contemporary sculpture, an Elizabethan maze, and year-round blooming displays, VanDusen Botanical Garden has been invigorated by a new entry area: The Phylllis Bentall Garden, with paved terrace, pool, and mixed borders, invites you to explore VanDusen’s glorious magnolias.
Photos: Courtesy VanDusen Botanical Garden
 - Maze VanDusen
Month by month the landscape turns heads as Himalayan blue poppies progress to a sea of wildflowers blanketing meadows followed by fiery fall color. Seasonal stars include alliances of heathers, hollies and hellebores. To contemplate VanDusen’s charms, ramble along to the Cypress Pond, Heron Lake, or the restored Korean Pavilion, intricately carved with floral patterning in burnished tones.
 - Van Dusen Azaleas
The Spring season provides eye-catching swathes of narcissi, advancing to a pathway replete with rhododendrons and scented azaleas. The hedge maze (pictured above) is comprised of 3,000 plants of Thuja occidentalis ‘Fastigiata’ – cedars of a pyramidal form.
A much anticipated annual garden event…
…the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Sakura Matsuri cherry blossom festival takes place May 1 & 2 this year: Visit the BBG web site for details.
 Springtime Vista - Brooklyn Botanic Garden (ALICE JOYCE photo) The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is an especially alluring destination in Spring, when the green haven of the 2-acre Native Flora Garden captivates the senses with arrays of Trillium species, Clematis, bellworts (Uvularia) and shooting stars, among the woodlanders emerging in April and May.
The Garden is positively aglow in the Cherry Esplanade, Japanese Garden, and Daffodil Hill area while avenues of cherry trees are blooming. I enjoyed a ramble through the gardens with Scot Medbury, President of the BBG and former director of the San Francisco Botanical Garden/Conservatory of Flowers, and was delighted to be introduced to Uli Lorimer, curator of the Native Flora collection.
The botanically inclined will find fetching displays decorating the gardens, like the sight of fallen petals floating on the pond, as captivating to the eyes as the bounteous, blowsy blossoms themselves. At this tine of year, there are fragrant lilacs, exuberant azaleas, and a cacophony of frilly peonies, along with a wisteria-draped pergola that signals the coming to life of the Cranford Rose Garden. Plan a summer visit and you’ll be swept away by the fragrance that envelops you in this classic, formal setting.
Slipper Orchid - Cypripedium – below (Alice Joyce photo)
Click on the Brooklyn Botanic Garden map to see the garden’s layout, plant collections, and design features.
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